Color B&W 
Color B&W The Studio at Mainstage Center for the Arts is extremely proud of it teaching staff. All of our Teaching Artists are professionally trained in their field and are working professionally as performers and as teachers. Please enjoy getting to know them through a small slice of their lives provided below.
MEREDITH BECK — Private Voice (Virtual) Meredith is a professional singer and actress in Philadelphia. She attended Ithaca College and graduated magna cum laude with her BFA in voice and acting and a minor in dance. She has performed in NYC in the workshops of Thanks and National Pastime. – directed by Tony nominee Hunter Foster. She was a part of the tour The Irish & How They Got That Way as the Philadelphia & Boston cast. (Cast album- principle vocals, flutist) Regional theaters include Kimmel Center, Bucks County Playhouse, Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, 11th Hour, Hedgerow, BTop, Heritage, Brickhouse, and more! She was a part of the premiere Oscar Hammerstein Festival at the Bucks County Playhouse under the direction of Stafford Arima and the musical direction of Gary Adler. Meredith is a founder & member of The Galway Girls, a troupe of Celtic singers and instrumentalists. Specialties in classical, pop, rock, and musical theater voice. www.meredithbeck.com |
COURTNEY BIRD — Ace Your Audition, Acting Company, Private Acting Courtney Bird just graduated from the University of the Arts with a BFA in Musical Theater and a minor in Songwriting. Her love for theater began to sprout when she was five and only grew stronger when she got to high school. She is the only female in the history of Cherry Hill East High School to win the Best Actress of the Year award two years in a row. Courtney is certified in 3 stage combat weapons: single sword, long sword, and rapier & dagger. As well as performing in UArts mainstage shows such as Pippin and Crimson Lit, she also has experience with Mainstage Center for the Arts, performing in The Addams Family and The Lightning Thief and the Plays and Players Theatre, where she was in Since They Left in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. In the Fall, Courtney will perform in the Philadelphia Premiere of a musical In Pieces by Joey Contreras. Throughout her theater years, Courtney has become confident in her teaching ability and taken ownership of her creative artistry. She is so excited to be teaching Ace Your Audition and Acting Company. Acting has always been her passion, and all she wants to do is share that with others and help them be the most authentic and confident performers and storytellers they can be. |
ASHLEY BITTERMAN — Private Guitar Ashley learned to play guitar when she was twelve years old. This skill became valuable to her as she played in bands, competed in songwriting competitions, and performed at local venues. Most importantly, the guitar empowered her to express herself during challenging times. The guitar was a hobby, but it also gave her community, purpose, and lifelong friends. Now she is an educator, and her passion is teaching others guitar! At Mainstage, she offers one on one guitar lessons, where she tailors the learning to the individual interests of her students. She also leads Guitar Club, where students are challenged with new guitar skills while collaborating and jamming with other young musicians. |
CATHERINE CALZARETTO — Musical Theatre Kidz Catherine is a graduate of Rowan University with two Bachelor of Arts degrees. Currently, she is a Social Studies and Language Arts teacher in Mount Laurel, NJ. In the past, she has directed and choreographed shows such as Bye Bye Birdie-Youth Edition, Dear Edwina Jr., and High School Musical Jr., Catherine recently directed Frozen Jr. at the Grand Theatre this summer. She also shined as a summer camp director and choreographer for the Future Stars summer camp in Linwood, NJ. In her spare time, Catherine enjoys hiking, reading, traveling, and spending time with her 20-year-old cat.
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A graduate of Arcadia University, Lindsay holds her BFA in Acting. She is no stranger to Mainstage, having been a camper at Summer Stage for six years and serving as an Apprentice and Children’s Theatre director for four years. She has been in many Mainstage productions, including Legally Blonde (Elle Woods) and Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey). Lindsay is a working artist in the Philadelphia area and is excited to be back at Mainstage, giving back to a place that has given so much to her. |
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AIMEE FERENZ — Musical Theatre Pros, Musical Theatre Company Aimee Ferenz is a 2018 Rowan University graduate of the Music Education Department. Currently, she is the general music teacher and National Park Elementary’s band, choir, and drama director. Recent performance credits include The Witch (Into the Woods), Sally Jackson/Charon/Katie Gardner (The Lightning Thief), Mary (Hallelujah, Baby!), and Heather (American Idiot), while recent music direction credits include The Lightning Thief, Seussical Jr., Matilda Jr., The Wizard of Oz YPE, Frozen Jr., and Heathers. Aimee will be sharing her knowledge with Mainstage through Broadway Pros and Musical Theater company. |
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TAYE HOPKINS — Stage Kidz Acting Taye Hopkins is an up and coming actor in the South Jersey area as well as a Rowan University Theater student. Having acting credits in both community and professional theater, Taye absolutely loves to test the creativity of himself and those around him, in hopes to get the best out of everyone on and off stage. He started his love for performance early in life as a musician and slowly grew into a well rounded artist, and dreams of helping others do the same for the rest of his career. |
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Hannah is an incoming Senior at Rowan University. She is majoring in Theatre Arts with concentrations in Music Theatre and Theatre Education. She is excited to be teaching the Theatre Tots class as she has a lot of personal experience working with young children and has loved all of her experiences. Hannah participated in school plays and musicals throughout middle and high school. In addition, she took Early Childhood Education courses and always helped with her school’s daycare program called Little Bulldogs. She is passionate about Theater and Arts Education, especially for young students, and is excited to get their creative juices flowing. |
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MEGAN RUGGLES — Broadway Apprentice Megan is happy to be back teaching our Mainstage students! Megan holds a Theatre Performance degree with a concentration in Music from West Chester University, where she received the prestigious J.P. Adler Prize for Excellence in Theatre awarded by her professors. Since graduating, Megan has had a longstanding passion for teaching children and has loved being a part of the Mainstage family for the past three years. Previously, she worked as the music director of the Ritz Theatre’s Junior Camp for eight years. She worked for the Voorhees Theatre Company, Triple Threat Performing Arts Center, and taught private voice through Next Stage Dance & Acting Academy. In addition to teaching, Megan has been performing professionally as an actress in the tri-state area for the past seventeen years. She has worked with companies such as the Walnut, 11th Hour, Media, Ritz, and Broadway Theatre of Pitman, among others. Check her website for current projects and past works! www.meganruggles.com. Megan currently resides in Washington Township with her husband and four children. |
 CAILYN WOLF — Private Voice
Cailyn is thrilled to be given this opportunity to foster the young minds and artists of the future at Mainstage! Cailyn has a BA in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Musical Theatre and a minor in Dance Studies from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Some of her favorite past shows include Shrek at MPAC, Aida, Company, and Into the Woods. Her love for teaching comes from a long line of past educators who have inspired her and instilled in her a passion for theatre education. Cailyn has a long background in many styles of dance such as tap and jazz and has been professionally and classically trained in voice since she was 5 years old. She was also a member of the Harmony Show Choir with Mainstage! Cailyn is extremely excited to join the Mainstage team and to share her love for theatre and the arts! |
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Welcome to the theatre! To the stage! To the fun! Where confidence and magic grow, laughter rings fortissimo, and classes with Anne Marie are always fun. Anne Marie, an acting teacher for nineteen years with Mainstage Center for the Arts, loves sharing her passion for the stage with children of all ages. Theatre is a family tradition, from her grandparents in Vaudeville to sharing hers, and her husband’s love with their children, now all professionals in the world of theatre. Stage presence, use of body, improvisation, creativity, good diction, and character development are just some of the many skills Miss Anne shares with students based on her education at Glassboro Stage College and her thirty-plus years as drama director at Glassboro High School. Facing the world’s #1 fear of standing up in front of an audience is the challenge that, through theatre classes, students will meet head-on in a fun and engaging way. Conquering this fear will allow them to feel ready to handle auditions, classroom speeches, or running for class officers. Anne Marie’s favorite part of theatre education is watching as students’ confidence and self-esteem grows in leaps and bounds. So welcome to the theatre! Let’s get started. You’ll love it so much! |
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